DMP to involve student volunteers
Inspired by last year's student movement for road safety, the traffic department of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) is going to include school and college students as volunteers in the fortnightly traffic discipline programme starting today.
According to an action plan of the traffic department, students of schools and colleges around main roads will work as volunteers with the traffic police before and after class.
On July 29 last year, students took to the streets after the death of two students of Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment College on Airport Road. They were seen managing traffic on main roads for nine days.
Police later welcomed the student movement and initiated traffic awareness programme.
Although, scouts and BNCC students took part in traffic awareness programme earlier, engaging general students as volunteers in traffic management is a first.
“Although the involvement of student volunteers is in our action plan, we are not yet sure about the level of their involvement. We do want participation of students, guardians and authorities,” Mir Rezaul Alam, additional commissioner (traffic) of DMP, told The Daily Star yesterday.
“We had provided some orientation training to students in some areas at the time (during road safety movement),” he said, adding that they are also undertaking a programme involving Bangladesh Red Crescent to generate awareness and encourage volunteers in schools.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan will inaugurate the fortnightly traffic discipline programme at the capital's Zero point at 2pm today.
The DMP traffic department has already initiated an 11-point special action plan for the operation, including setting up check posts at 29 points in Dhaka, starting digital remote control signal system at eight major points, and encouraging people to use foot over-bridges.
Additional Commissioner Rezaul said that they have already planned to upgrade traffic management systems and create awareness among people to abide by the system.
During the operation, police will also try to ensure that buses keep their gates closed and only stop at the selected bus stoppages.
Regarding pedestrian movement on footpaths, Rezaul said that they had already taken initiatives to go for a drive, jointly with the crime division, against illegal occupancy of footpaths.
Police will also focus on increasing filing of video cases for traffic rule violations. The DMP database shows, a total of 99,417 video cases were filed in the first nine months of 2018.
Some other plans include awareness building through leaflets, placards and guides, programmes at important intersections in the city, attaching rover scouts and other volunteers with traffic department, installing zebra crossings and road markings.
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